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It wasn’t easy, but the Nets finally had an okay week. They went 2-2 for the first time all season, bringing their season record to 5-12. They got their all-star center back, and saw growth from two 2nd year players. The best part though could be that the 2 wins came on the road.

Game 14: @ Toronto

They don’t make it easy on themselves, but they picked up a much-needed win to snap their 5-game skid. Brook Lopez missed his 7th straight, Deron Williams was also out for his 6th out of the last 7. They came out with energy, something that doesn’t always happen, and they kept it. Another thing that doesn’t always happen. They found a way, thanks in part to Joe Johnson, to win the 3rd quarter. They’re now 4-0 when they win the dreaded 3rd.

It was a close game throughout, though Brooklyn held a 13 point lead late, giving the impression they;d pick up an easy win. Wrong. Leading 101-86 with 3:13 left Steve Novak was fouled on a 3-point attempt, sparking a 14-1 Raptors run to end the game. Toronto ran out of time, and Brooklyn snuck out of Air Canada Centre with the 2-point win.

4 starters finished in double figures for the 6th time this season. They got a lot of big minutes from guys like Mason Plumlee and Mirza Teletovic off the bench as they shortened their rotation just a bit.

For the 3rd game out of the last 4, Andray Blatche led the team with 24-points, 6 boards from Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson and Shaun Livingston, who added 7 assists.

W Nets 102 – Raptors 100

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Game 15: vs Los Angeles

The Lakers shot Brooklyn out of their house in the 1st quarter, but then the Nets responded in the 2nd to make a once 25 point lead manageable at the half. A key reason for Los Angeles taking a quick 27-point lead was the shooting of back up point guard Jordan Farmar. The former New Jersey Net went 5-7 from 3 in his first game against his old team since 2010. But the law of averages came into play in the 2nd half, because the Lakers hot shooting came to a halt, and the Nets took advantage, tying up the Lakers late in the 4th. But that’s when it all changed.

For the 2nd straight day, the offense went ice-cold in the final 3 minutes of the game, and t he sloppy play took over. Tied 92-92 with under 2 to play, after a number of missed bunnies down low by Brooklyn, Paul pierce decided to run the offense through himself, made a lazy pass that was taken back by Wesley Johnson for the go-ahead score. To make matters worse, Jason Kidd showed he was willing to do anything to win, and by anything, I mean telling Tyshawn Taylor to “hit me.” Listening to his head coach, Taylor knocked into him, causing Kidd to spill his drink, and essentially get an extra time out, down 2, with a Laker at the line looking to make it a 3 point lead with 8.3 seconds left to play. Add to that the fact that no one on the Brooklyn Bench seemed to notice two LA players in their final huddle, and it all turned into a 5-point loss.

Mirza Teletovic had by far his best game of his NBA career, a much welcome sight for fans and management alike. The 2nd year pro went 4-7 from the 3-point line, added 5-5 from the charity stripe as well as 5 rebounds. His spark off the bench was key in the huge comeback the Nets put together. Mason Plumlee continues to impress, blocking four shots in just under 21 minutes of action.

Joe Johnson led 5 double-figure scorers with 18, Kevin Garnett led the way with 9 boards and Paul Pierce dished out a team high 5 assists.

L Lakers 99 – Nets 94

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Game 16: @ Houston

Brook Lopez made his return, as Kevin Garnett sat in a 114-95 drubbing by the Houston Rockets. Lopez looked like he didn’t miss a beat after missing 8 games, scoring 16 points in 21 minutes of action. Garnett was just given the front half of a back-to-back off, no injury there. But getting their big man back didn’t help. This team’s inability to start the 2nd half well has now found its way to the 1st quarter. The defense out of the locker room is starting to really hurt, and it’s not just out of half anymore. You can’t be down double digits after 12 minutes every game and expect to go on a run.

The Rockets high-scoring ability, coupled with Brooklyn’s poor defense to start the season, this one got ugly early. They are having real trouble defending the three-point line of late, proved true by a 6-6 performance behind the arc from Houston’s Chandler Parsons. The Rockets as a team shot near 60% as a team from 3, something that can’t happen, especially when you yourselves hit just 27% of your three-point attempts. This game really was all about the difference in the two teams ability to shoot the basketball. The Nets did a good job limiting turnovers, and free-throw attempts, as well as rebounding the basketball, but it didn’t matter.

Aside from the return of a healthy Brook Lopez, Mirza Teletovic’s 1st career double-double of 18 point and 13 rebounds to go with 2nd year point guard Tyshawn Taylor’s 1st. Taylor finished with 16 points and a team high 12 assists.

L Nets 95 – Rockets 114

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Game 17: @ Memphis

For the first time this week, the Nets got off to a pretty good start. And guess what, in picking up their 5th victory, they also got their first win when losing the 3rd quarter. I’d call that progress. Brook Lopez made his 2nd straight start back from injury, and after a quiet first half, he helped put the game away in the 4th. The Nets now have more wins on the road than they do at home, though they’ve played more games on the road than home early on. That will change in December.

It was a rare bad night for bench player Alan Anderson, who started in place of the injured Paul Pierce, who sat with a right hand. Anderson has provided good defense and an ability to hit the 3 early on off the bench, but went 0-6 as a starter. The scoring mainly came from 3 guys, with Blatche, Lopez and Johnson combining 67 of Brooklyn’s 97 points. But the offense did well despite that, with nearly everyone registering an assist and a rebound, and they took a lot of free throw attempts. The Grizzlies are a good defensive team, and the Nets found different ways to score. Not to mention that Blatche went 3-3 from behind the arc, a career high. That’s not the game you want him playing, but they went down, so the Nets will take it. The Grizzlies were led by Quincy Pondexter’s career-high 22 off the bench.

Joe Johnson continues to shine in 2013, leading the team in points with 26, as well as 6 assists while Brook Lopez pulled down 9 boards.

W Nets 97 – Grizzlies 89

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So they’re still not where they want to be, but this week was a step in the right direction. Now they have a chance to make up some ground with a majority of their games in this month at home in Brooklyn. December play starts Tuesday against Denver. Then their first of four with the Knicks on Thursday, a match-up that isn’t as anticipated as it would be with both teams sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic. But with these two teams, throw away the records. The week wraps Saturday on the road against Milwaukee.

Another week, another 1-2 record. This team isn’t playing with consistent energy, and that’s the biggest problem. That is until the end of the week when the injury bug struck.

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Game 7: @ Sacramento

This team had 3 days to get ready for this road trip, but they showed up looking tired. In truth it was a lack of energy, something you can’t do any time, let alone early in the season.

Down 12 at the half, a poor start to the 3rd quarter meant that an early run in the 4th was little more than window dressing. Because that run turned into a Kings run which led to the Nets 2nd blow out loss of the year. Sacramento led by as many as 23 before this one was over.

5 Nets finished if double-figures, but it’s hard to win when you shoot below 38%. There was way more ball movement for the Kings, who nearly doubled up the Nets assist total. Of course the poor shooting didn’t help that number. Brooklyn did a good job on the boards, but they had 15 turnovers to the Kings 6. It was just a bad night all around to get the road trip started.

Brook Lopez led the way with 16 points, 9 boards tied with Paul Pierce and Deron Williams had 7 assists.

L Nets 86 – Kings 107

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Game 8: @ Phoenix

From the opening tip, there was much better energy for the Nets. That was until Deron Williams crumpled to the ground just minutes in. The oft-injured point guard came down hard on his left ankle, and stayed down for some time. He hopped off to the locker room with some help, and the Suns took advantage.You could see why Phoenix led the league in fast-break points. Their guards have quick hands, force turnovers and they get back in transition quick.

But unlike the last few games, the Nets responded in the 2nd quarter to close a double-digit deficit to just 4 at the half. Then, something unprecedented happened. A 16-0 Brooklyn run to start the 3rd quarter. Sure, following a timeout the Suns outscored them 17-10 the rest of the way, but that’s the type of energy and smart offense this team needs out of the break. And it started and ended with Brook Lopez, who scored 10 of those 16 points. Lopez had a bad 1st half, but rebounded in the 2nd half, and when the Nets big man is going well, this team usually excels.

It was a poor offensive 4th quarter capped off by a late Joe Johnson jumper that sent the game going to overtime. Big shots are nothing new for the 2nd year Net, but the biggest came in overtime. Tied 98-98, Johnson rebounded a Channing Frye miss, and took it in for a buzzer beating lay-up.

Williams never returned to the game, but luckily the MRI on his left ankle was negative. He’s day-to-day.

Brook Lopez was the leading scorer once again, putting up 27 points, while Kevin Garnett was a force on the glass, pulling down 14 rebounds. Shaun Livingston came off the bench for Williams to dish out 6 assists to go with 18 points.

W Nets 100 – Suns 98 (OT)

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Game 9: @ Los Angeles

If there’s such a thing as a moral victory, this Saturday night 110-103 loss to the Clippers was that for the Nets. Brooklyn was without 80% of their starting lineup for their final stop on a 3-game west coast swing. Brook Lopez and Deron Williams sat with ankle injuries. Paul Pierce was out with a groin issue and Kevin Garnett was given the back-end of the back-to-back off. So Joe Johnson, after 45 minutes in an OT win Friday, was the only healthy starter with the bench against a healthy LA team. It started out well, but in the end, the Clippers playmakers did just that, they made plays.

Up 1 at the half, the Nets came out firing in the 3rd quarter for the 2nd straight night. A 10-0 run out of the locker room led to a Clipper timeout. And did that timeout work. LA answered the Nets run with a 16-0 streak of their own, and Brooklyn could never really recover.

But they kept it close until the end, and with just 1 starter, and with different guys playing big minutes, it was an impressive showing. Shots that were falling early didn’t fall late, and they left points at the free throw line. Many of those were left by lone rookie Mason Plumlee, who despite the misses, was a huge reason Brooklyn remained in it as long as they did. The back-up big man wasn’t afraid to attack Blake Griffin down low. It took a 30 point night from Griffin, and a 26 point effort from JJ Redick to beat the Nets bench, something that needs to be remembered.

It was another loss, and you can’t be happy with a 3-6 start, but the energy, defense and ball movement from this one needs to transfer to practice and the starters need to feed off it when they return. Again, a loss is a loss, but it might be a turning point loss.

Andray Blatche and Mason Plumlee tied for team high honors with 19 points, a career high for the rookie. Reggie Evans led the way with 11 boards in his first start of the season and Joe Johnson dished out a team high 6 assists.

L Nets 103 – Clippers 110

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Week 4 of the season starts with Portland at home on Monday before two more on the road. Charlotte on Wednesday and Minnesota on Friday. The week wraps up back home on Sunday against Detroit.

Injuries or not, this team is being paid too much money, and has too much depth to be 3-6. It is early, but that’s not a good excuse for a team with Championship aspirations.

Here we are. One round from the World Series, and we’re now down to two teams left standing in the National League.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ St. Louis Cardinals

Joe Kelly (0-0, 3.38 ERA) vs Zach Greinke (15-8, 3.75 ERA)

I had the Dodgers beating the Braves in four, and that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t even that close. LA scored 23 runs in their 3 wins. They gambled bringing their Ace Clayton Kershaw back on three-days rest for the first time in his career, but it paid off. Kershaw gave the 6 innings strong of, 3-hit, 2-run ball. But now they don’t have their Cy Young starter until game 2.

It’s the first time the Dodgers have reached the NLCS since 2009, when they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in 5 games. They also fell in 5 games to Philly in 2008. And if they should win, it will be the first time the reach the Fall Classic since 1988, when they beat the Oakland A’s.

As for the Cardinals, it took 5 games for them to get here. Again, that’s how long I figured their NLDS match-up against Pirates would go, It was a fun, close series, with the clincher the biggest margin of victory. Not counting the 6-1 clincher, St. Louis outscored Pittsburgh 15-14 in the first 4 games.

The question is always is it better to play everyday and get in on a high, or clinch early? Well, it’s another case of that in this years NLCS.

Without Ace Adam Wainwright because he went the distance last night, possible game 1 candidates included Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller and Joe Kelly. Kelly ended up getting the nod, after just 1 start during the regular season.

Clinching Monday meant LA could set up their Dodgers send their Ace 1A to the hill in Zach Greinke. Greinke took the game 2 loss to Atlanta, but pitched well enough for the win, going 6 innings of 2-run ball.

The LA Dodgers took the West, the St Louis Cardinals the central. Now one will take the NL.

And it all gets started with Game 1 Friday night at Busch Stadium- first pitch set for 8:30.

It’s going to be a hard fought series. But I think the fact that the Dodgers were able to set up their pitching much better than St. Louis will ultimately mean a win. Getting 2 from Greinke and 2 from Kershaw is huge. Wainwright won’t pitch until game 3, and it might be too late by then.

DODGERS IN 6

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ALCS UPDATE

The Red Sox have already clinched their spot in the next round.

The Detroit Tigers are in Oakland tonight for a winner-take-all Game 5.

No matter what happens tonight, the ALCS kicks off in Boston on Saturday.

With the Wild Card games out of the way, let the Division Series begin.

The National League gets things started tonight, with the American League playing tomorrow.

NL Central opponents do battle in the first best-of-five match-up.

Pittsburgh Pirates @ St Louis Cardinals

AJ Burnett (10-11, 3.30 ERA) vs Adam Wainwright (19-9, 2.94 ERA)

The pirates won their first playoff game in 21 years when they took down Cincinnati on Monday in their Wild Card match-up. Now they look to keep the the good feeling going against a playoff perennial that knows what it takes to win in October. That being said, it’s the first postseason series between the two clubs, so anything can happen.

It’s a good pitching match-up between 2 guys who have helped teams win in the postseason in the past.

The Pirates have used the long ball and a strong bullpen of late to get them into the playoffs. While against Pittsburgh this year, Wainwright went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts, going seven innings each time out.

I see this being a close game, and a close series, but I think the Cardinals experience and home-field advantage wins out.

CARDINALS IN 4

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In NLDS number 2, it’s East meets West for two division winners.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Atlanta Braves

Clayton Kershaw (16-9, 1.83 ERA) vs Kris Medlen (15-12, 3.11ERA)

It wasn’t easy but the Dodgers took the west crown, while the Braves easily topped the East. LA made an amazing 2nd half push to take their division. They’re hot, young and don’t care what anyone thinks about them. The Braves got off to a fast start, and cruised into October in a down NL East.

Kershaw is probably going to win the Cy Young again, and his teammate Zach Grienke was just as dominant in the second half push. The Braves weren’t challenged all year for their spot in the postseason, and i think that will hurt them, while LA fought from a big deficit early to overtake Arizona.

I think the Dodgers starting pitching top to bottom is better, and their a much more versatile lineup.